Football and live performance costs to ‘soar’ because of proposed hikes in policing prices
Industry chiefs are warning that football and music fans will be the ones who end up losing out if plans to make organisers pay more go ahead
Football and festival ticket prices could soar under plans to make events fork out for their own policing.
Fans will lose out if proposals to make organisers cough up more cash go ahead, industry chiefs warned. Football clubs and festivals currently only have to pay for cops on their own land, not in surrounding areas.
But leaked Home Office documents reveal ministers think it’s hitting the public purse too hard. It could mean some smaller events fold under the financial pressure.
Organisers are begging policing minister Sarah Jones to reconsider. They told her in meetings that the plans would spark higher ticket prices, scupper Britain’s ability to host international gatherings and kneecap smaller events.
Ministers were also accused of hypocrisy because political party conferences would dodge the proposed hikes. That is despite those events often requiring hundreds of cops to wrangle with protesters and reduce terror threats.
The cost of policing football last season was £78.5 million but police only clawed back £15 million. Many Premier League clubs could afford to pay more.
But the majority of British festivals are already struggling to to stay afloat.
According to the Music Managers Forum, 72 festivals were lost in the UK in 2024. Increased policing costs could push hundreds more off a cliff.
One of the latest to disappear, Towersey Festival, ended last year after 60 years. Its organisers said: “Like many other independent and grassroots festivals we have faced too many forces outside of our control which have made it increasingly difficult to operate and survive.”
A Home Office spokesperson said policing major events “costs forces tens of millions each year and strains frontline resources”. They added: “We are exploring ways to recover more of these costs.
“Our consultation will listen to all evidence to ensure any changes strike the right balance – also recognising the importance of these events to our economy and culture.”
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